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MAMMALIA. 
the inmates to death, only eating their brains and drinking their 
blood. They are wanting in intelligence, yet can be domesticated. 
The typical species of the genns is the Ichneumon, or Pha- 
raoh’s Pat, which inhabits the whole of the Nile region of Egypt. 
This animal measures sixteen inches in length, not including the 
tail, and is yery slender in figure. It has long been celebrated 
for destroying Crocodiles’ eggs. A fable, which obtained great 
credit in former times, affirms that the Ichneumon entered the 
bodies of these enormous Peptiles to devour their viscera. It was 
no doubt because of the intimate relations existing between these 
animals that the ancient Egyptians deified the Ichneumon at the 
same time as the Crocodile. 
The Mangues are a kind of Mangousts, which differ from all 
the others by their more elongated and mobile muzzle, resembling 
a snout. They are found on the West Coast of Africa, and 
especially at Sierra-Leone. 
Beside the Mangues must be placed the pretty little animals 
which have almost the same form and habits, and are natives of 
Madagascar ; these are the Galidse, or Galidictis of M. Coquerel, 
who has observed them in that island. They are easily tamed, 
and are used to destroy vermin. 
Genus Civet . — The Civets are the largest of the Yiverridae, 
although their size does not surpass that of the Fox. Like the 
Mangousts, they live on small mammals and birds ; but they 
have not the same preference for reptiles. For a long time 
they enjoyed great celebrity, owing to the perfume they fur- 
nish, and which bears their name. The odoriferous matter is 
secreted in a number of small glands, which pour it into a 
well-developed double pouch, situated beneath the anus, and 
communicating with the exterior by a longitudinal slit. Since 
musk and ambergris have been known, the use of Civet has been 
more restricted ; but in former times it was an article of large 
consumption. Each year Africa and India exported to Europe 
considerable quantities, which was used in medicine and per- 
fumery ; as an antispasmodic in nervous deseases it was considered 
valuable. 
To procure the perfume, the people of the East reared Civets in 
captivity, and by feeding them on appropriate nourishment they 
rendered the secretion more abundant. Birds, fowls, eggs, fish, 
